After reading many good experiences with koyo installs I decided to purchase and install a koyo due to the size and price. After my install I would buy a fluidyne.

reversal of brackets would have caused no cutting, but fitament for the stock airbox and intercooler would have been scary.

So I decided to do some cutting, and got the radiator completely lowered into the correct position. I even bent the radiator support brackets (bottom set of brackets?) towards the floor a little to drop the radiator .25-.5 centimeters. The airbox fit in with zero clearance problems. It sits on the fan shroud, but I don't think this will cause any problems?

The intercooler, however, did not want to fit very well. It is sitting on the fan shroud and on the backing of the driver's size fan motor. I put two thick washers in to raise the intercooler up around .3-.5 centimeters. I don't like the way everything fits, but I don't think any problems will ensure.

If I would have just put everything in without trying to be careful, or provide the least rubbing, the install would have taken maybe an hour. But with me being careful with everything, and trying to minimize rubbing/contact it took me closer to 3 hours.

Again, if there aren't any problems that arise due to the clearance I'm happy...I just think it's more of an install than some people may want with an aftermarket radiator system. Bottom line, install isn't difficult but does require a decent amount of manipulation just like many others on the board have said. DON'T buy this if you want a direct drop in with stock intercooler and airbox!

Steve

 

Good info Steve.

Thats why I went with a Fluidyne. The extra cost of the Fluidyne was worth it to me. As I recall, it was only about $50 more.

 

Same issues here....I had a Koyo and the fitment issue made things so tight that I swapped it out for a fluidyne

Also, I didn't notice any appreciable temperature differences or cooling rate between the two.

However, in front mounts, with the radiator sitting upright, I think a koyo would be a good economic choice.

 

All I did to get my Koyo in was flip the mounting brackets, bend one a bit and I think I had to modify one bracket slightly with a tin snip.
My whole front end fits together better now than it did with the stock radiator. I bought the car with 100 miles on a new motor and I think something was just not ever lined up correctly from the start. There was absolutely no rubbing of anything in there even when I had the stock air box in.

As for cost, I paid about $350 shipped 2 years ago, new from radiators .com. At the time that was about $100 less than a Fluidyne.

 

Is it possible that there is really that much of a difference in vehicles? It seems like some people have no trouble, and some try the same methods and have a lot of trouble.

 

Tom,

My Fluidyne was $400 plus about $20 for shipping in Dec 02

 

Isn't the koyo slighty bigger than fluidyne?

 

Yes, the Koyo has a slightly larger capacity. I have not heard of anyone that uses a fluidyne needing a higher capacity radiator. IMO the extra capacity of the koyo is not needed ....... even by people who track the car.

 

Half an inch thicker i think.

 

do you have any pics of the install process? my koyo is ready to go in and i'd like to check out any details first.

for instance when you talk about turning the bracket over, which brackets do you mean? the top hangers, or the L bracket on the passanger side?

thanks,

-bill

 

sorry, I didn't take any pictures. the brackets that are bolted onto the stock radiator come off and go on the koyo. These are the ones that are closest to the front of the car. The two other "brackets" I referred to as radiator supports. These are the ones that have the holes to accomodate the "feet" of the radiator.

The first brackets referred to are the ones people switch and flip backwards, I believe. On a side note I'm getting a strange squeaking noise after the install. I don't think it's related to the fitament because I can't run the car long enough to warm it up before the squeaking starts.

Too late tonight, time to diagnose that tomorrow

Steve

 

im installing mine tomorow as well.... just to clarify what needs to happen with the brackets? switch the 2 brackets from side to side and flip them? which way are they being flipped... ill try to take some pics cause everything is apart now

 

Radiator upgrade is on my "to-do" list this winter when car goes up. Thanks for helping me make up my mind.

 

I installed my Koyo too, pretty tight fit. Before I installed the Koyo, I read a post that someone installed theirs in 20min. I pretty much knew he was full-of-it after my install!

 

oops...posted in the wrong window

here is the old link as I brought it back from the dead

https://www.rx7club.com/forum/showth...=1#post3421122

and a link with step by step install instuctions with pics

http://www.rx7guru.com/radiatorhowto.html

 

I installed mine in under an hour. That is no 20 minutes but still not too much difficulty. Of course my battery had been relocated so I didnt have that to contend with.



The brackets you flip are on the sides of the radiator. I believe you swap sides and turn them upside down. It has been awhile so I dont remember for certain. Once you get in there it is immediately obvious which brackets you need to change.

 

Hmmmm... I don't remember any problems installing my Koyo... seemed like a drop in bolt up deal to me at the time... and I had the stock intercooler, battery and airbox at that time. It took me a few hours but I work slowly.

 

ok here are some test fit pictures... its gonna be tight... hope the stock IC clears without any problems



top brackets... i guess these need to be swapped and flipped??


bottom brackets... do these need to be tweaked at all to aid in clearance?


space between AC and koyo... it looks like there is a *bit* more room to drop the koyo, but not much and i wouldnt want them to rub




oh, one last thing i was thinking about.... to get the koyo to seal properly, dont we need to add in some sort of foam like the stock rad has on it? i was thinking about some really thick weatherstripping? not sure where i would find some that thick though...hmmm

 

The Koyo is really a non-issue install that people make way too much fuss over.

 

If I remember correctly I didn't even remove the stock IC when I installed my Koyo. Just the airbox and battery tray.

 

there were only 2 issues i had.
#1 cutting about 10"s of plastic , 1"wide, off the bumper structure. with a dremell it took about 5 min, i bet it would take 15 if you want to make it pretty.
#2 the front brackets, i took mine to a machine shop and had holes drilled to accomodate for the thickness. I only had to bend them slighty to get them to work.

the only thing i dont like is that my stock intercooler fits a little snug. the whole process took me about 4 hours all in all to figure out. If I had to help somebody else I'd say (minus the holes drilled) it would take an hour and a half.

 

ok, i tried using the stock brackets.... they wont work. they raise the top half of the radiator up too high. ill have to get some aluminum and make some new brackets to keep the radiator at a reasonable height at the top.... with the stock ones the bottom is quite close to the AC condensor, but the top is much farther away (not equal distance)...too bad KOYO doesnt include some brackets...oh well

 

The top brackets you swap, that alone moves the radiator about 2" toward the condensor and away from the air box, IC, and such. If you move it any further forward it will physically contact the A/C condensor

 

I agree, mine was rather straight forward and easy to install. At the time, the apexi intakes replaced the airbox, and the stock ic and battery didn't cause any problems. I don't recall how long it took to install it, but it wasn't a pain in the *** or anyting.

 

Ditto... Bunch of wussies! :-)

I was worried when I ordered mine because of the fitment issues I read about, but I wasn't about to spend $100 more for a smaller radiator.

If I remember correctly, I flipped one bracket, bent the little arms that the bottom of the radiator sits in and added some 1/2" nylon spacers to drop the A/C condenser.